Play Therapy Essay

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The Use of Play in Pediatric Nursing Playing may seem like such a modest task, that cannot possibly change a child’s health or mental status. However, play therapy has transformed the world of pediatric nursing, it is an essential part of any child’s treatment. Play therapy is a form of counselling in which play is used as means of helping children express or communicate their feelings. Play therapy began in 1965, by a therapist trying to gain access to a child’s inner life and trust. Nurses later discovered that play therapy could be used as a nursing intervention to gain the trust of their small patients and help in the difficult process of being hospitalized. It is known that children’s mental health decline while being hospitalized, using …show more content…

Therefore, when the nurse must leave or another nurse may have to take care of the child, it could be extremely difficult for the child. Once a child has connected with a certain nurse, the child may not let the other nurses help. Also, play therapy could spread illness, if the children play with other children there is a risk of exposer to another illness. Through sharing of toys or simply being in the same room can cause a child to get an illness, and that could be deadly for a child already sick. However, those risks can be controlled and the advantages outweigh the …show more content…

Once the child develops a trusting relationship with the nurses, the stress and anxiety of all the procedures decreases and the child feels safer. Brenner, Drennan, Treacy, and Fealy (2014) stated that “to develop a trusting relationship with the child in hospital and the need for appropriate comfort measures during clinical procedures.” (p.1190) Even as an adult, surgery can be daunting and one needs someone trust worthy and the feeling of safe. Sezici et al (2016) specified that “play therapy eased the fear in children and helped them to be more cooperative in the treatment process and improved the doctor-patient relationship.” (p.166) Play therapy is the way to achieve that trustworthiness. By using play therapy, it can help the child connect to the nurse so the child can be open and communicate to the nurse the problems the child is going through. The nurse will know better how to treat the patient and provide better pain management with this

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